But Wenger said: “For me it would be, because I want to play with the best.

“And we want to be in there, in the top four, and to play in the Champions League, and anything else would not be good enough.”

Asked about the prospect of being 13 points behind Spurs tomorrow, Wenger said: “If you imagine a catastrophe, you can always make life difficult.

“You can go the other side, they could lose, we can win. That is why we love football, it can go bad or you can play well.”

Wenger’s men have the chance to make amends for their devastating 8-2 defeat at Old Trafford in August.

He admitted it was tough at times to keep a lid on his feelings. “I don’t stay sane,” he said. “It is a life where you need to take a certain distance from the immediate emotional aspect of the game and you learn that with experience.

“You have, as well, to be involved emotionally because it’s part of your job.

“When you have young managers and they ask, ‘What kind of advice would you give me?’ it is always to survive big disappointments, because that is part of the job.

“Nobody can go through a career and only be on highs, it is part of our job. Our job is up and down and you have to live with the ups and the downs.

“The ups are easier but you have to go as well to some big hits and disappointments.”

Wenger believes United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, who has had far more ups than downs, will never give up, despite being 70.

“He will manage until he dies, and I think he will be 100,” he said.

“My motivation is to beat him. To last the longest is not a record. Of course, I will never beat his record. But to win the game is my motivation.”